How I Refinished Our Dining Chairs
I then scrubbed it off with a little brush and a scratchy then rinsed with water. When the wood was dry, I could see that the oven cleaner didn’t get off all the shiny finish so I tried a 2nd application. This time, most of the finish came off but just roughing it up with a sanding block was faster. I do plan to try this stripping process on another piece of furniture.
When the sanding was done, it was time to paint! I chose to use the same paint that I used on my kitchen cabinets & hoosier – Pratt & Lambert – Sandhill Crane. This paint is a pretty teal color.
I started the painting in the garage and moved the chairs into the house when it started to get dark. Using a 1 1/2″ angled paintbrush (my favorite size), I applied 2 coats of paint. The 2nd coat can be applied after an hour but I allowed the 1st coat to dry overnight before applying the 2nd coat.
I ended up applying a 3rd coat the next day and then let it dry overnight again.
The chair cushions needed to be recovered (as will the ones I get from mom). I initially thought that I would use fabric because it is usually more comfortable to sit on than vinyl. However, as I was walking past the fabric section of Walmart one day, I saw this adorable chicken & rooster print in vinyl! I loved it at first sight!
When I looked closer at the print, I was surprised to see that one of the roosters looked just like my metal one, Sam!
Yes, I named him…please don’t judge me 🙂
The vinyl was only $2.97 and 54″ wide! I bought what was left on the roll – 6 1/2 yards. I didn’t know just how many chairs I would be recovering and figured I could use the remainder as a tablecloth – if there was that much left.
There are a couple of ways that you can remove the old covering on a chair cushion. You can cut the fabric close to the staples with a pair of scissors or razor knife. Or, you can remove the fabric by removing the staples from the board the fabric has been stapled to. While it is faster and easier to cut the fabric and leave the staples, it is cleaner to remove the staples
Removing the staples will give you a smooth surface for when you attach the new material. I have always removed the staples when replacing a chair cushion. To remove the staples, use either a flathead screwdriver, a 9 in 1 painter’s tool or a staple remover to loosen the staples then pull them out with a pair of pliers.
Sometimes it’s easier to loosen the staples by pressing the flathead screwdriver under the material between the staples and pulling up.
After you remove the old cushion covering, check the condition of the foam. If it is not in good shape, you will want to replace it. Foam can be found at your local fabric store or online. The foam on these cushions was in really good shape so I didn’t need to replace them. If you removed the fabric by removing the staples, you can use that piece as a pattern to cut the new cover.
If you cut the fabric away from the staples, you can use the cushion to cut the new piece of material. To use the cushion, you’ll turn your fabric/vinyl the wrong side up, lay the cushion on top of it and pull the fabric up around the cushion and mark the spot where you’ll be stapling the new piece to the board. See pictures for details.
To attach the new material to the cushion and board, you can use a nail gun with brads or a manual staple gun. I tried using my brad gun but the force of the brad made it cut right through the vinyl (if it were material, it would have worked just fine). With the cushion laying on the wrong side of your material, center it on your material.
If your material has a pattern, flip the cushion & material upright to check that your pattern looks like you want it to.
Turn the cushion back so you can attach the material. You’ll start securing it at the center of each side by pulling the material taut and stapling it into place. You may need to hammer some of the staples a little to make them flush.
Work your way from each center to the corners. Trip excess material as needed. When you get to the corners, fold the excess material to ease it around the corner. Be sure to leave the screw holes exposed to make it easier to fasten the seat to the chair.
You can see in the picture below that one of the screw holes is close to the edge of the cushion. I did not trim away the vinyl from this section because it was so close to the edge. You don’t need to make the underside pretty unless you want to – no one will see what it looks like.
When you have finished attaching the new material to the seat cushion, using a screwdriver, attach it to the chair with the original screws. I found it easy to attach the cushion by sitting the regular chairs upside down on the top of the table.
For the captain chairs, I used our laundry basket; this allowed the arms of the chair to be lower than the surface of the seat. Even though I didn’t think I would use vinyl for the seat cushions, I am surprised at how soft and comfortable it is.
I love the look of the teal paint with the color of the table.
Instructions:
Remove seat cushion using a screw driver
- Set aside
Ruff up finish on chair
- With 120/150 grit sandpaper
- or
- Easy Off oven cleaner
- Remove oven cleaner with sponge dipped in water
- Rinse wood with sponge & clean water
- Once wood is dry, it can be painted
- Wear gloves, goggles, mask
Wipe wood with tack cloth
Apply two to three coats of paint using a paintbrush
Remove old material from seat cushion
- Using flathead screwdriver, 9 in 1 tool, or staple remover
Used old material as a pattern for new fabric/vinyl
Attach new material to cushion using a staple gun
Attach seat cushion to chair using screws
I had all the tools & supplies on hand with the exception of the Easy Off, scrubbers, and vinyl. I used 2 yards of what I bought.